Conserving Space in the Garden while Prolonging your Harvest

By installing a trellis behind your garden box you can conserve space in the garden while also providing squash months into the winter. The idea is to plant the winter squash behind your tomatoes, peppers, etc, allowing them to climb up and fall down the trellis. Winter squash use there long tendrils to climb, so they need some sort of support. I chose to use a trellis. 

The trellis can be any size but I would recommend at least making the trellis at least 2 feet above the garden box.  I used two 8 foot long slats of 1/2" by 1" wood. I originally had planned to put the vertical stakes into the ground but found out that I had made it too short. So, instead I used screws to attach it. Make sure you make the stakes long enough so that they can be securely in the ground and still provide you with the needed height. Although, I set this trellis up for growing winter squash, you can easily grow cucumbers, or make it taller to grow beans and peas.

Direct seed your favorite winter squash varieties after the last frost date in your area. This year I chose Pink  Banana, Acorn, Honey Boat Delicata, and Butternut. If your saving seeds and don't want squash to cross pollinate. Try choosing squash that don't belong to some same scientific name. 

Here is a partial list of winter squash and their species name:

Cucurbita ficifolia, Malabar Gourd (Chilacayote), Gourd

Cucurbita foetidissima, Calabazilla

Cucurbita maxima, squash ( banana, buttercup, hubbard, turban, yugoslavian pie pumpkin...)

Cucurbita mixta, squash (green striped cushaw, white cushaw, wild Seroria squashes, silver seeded gourds)

Cucurbita moshcata squash (butternut, cheese, golden cushaw)

Cucurbita pepo (acorn, crookneck, scallop, small striped and warted gourds, spaghetti, and zucchini)

If the variety your looking for isn't up there, give me an email and I'll be able to tell you.